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Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Project MC2 Ultimate Lab Kit Review (Science for age 6+)

Project MC2 is a Netflix TV Show and a range of toys that are designed especially to interest girls who might otherwise not consider Science to be fun or interesting. This Autumn they've added a bunch of new sets to their range, and we've been sent the biggest of them to review, the Project MC2 Ultimate Lab Kit.

Obviously I'm a bit short on young girls here, so my 6 and 8 year old boys have stepped up to review, and they were instantly very keen to find out exactly what was in the huge bright red/pink case.

The answer is LOADS!! This is a really big kit and it has over 30 pieces - an activity booklet and plenty of equipment to do your experiments including slides, microscope, test tubes and rack, petri dish, flasks, funnel, pipette, jar, pH strips, stickers, safety goggles.

The microscope needs batteries and is an item to cause nightmares for parents on Christmas morning - it needs 3 x 1.5v AG13 (LR44) batteries. Not the kind of thing most people have in a drawer, however I found 20 on Amazon for a fiver.

It only has 4 x magnification, but the microscope is really safe and my 6 year old has looked at everything with it. I can be certain he isn't going to break any glass or squash anything onto the lens. Focus is really easy to use and barely necessary, so as a first microscope it's actually perfect.

Everything stores incredibly neatly inside the case, with slots and shaping to hold your microscope, jar and flasks etc. safe, even when you are on the move. It's actually beautifully done. My 16 year old daughter's first comment was "I love it and want it now, but why wasn't this available when I was younger?".

The case has a nice closure too, which clicks shut on closing, and then the 'zip' secures it, locking everything safely into it's little compartment.

As soon as we started taking about experiments, my 6 year old was off to get a plate and the volcano from the Adrienne Attoms Project MC2 set. He loves Science, especially Chemistry, and this set was a box of treasure to him. He was delighted to see the instructions for the Volcano Experiment in the booklet.

There wasn't only the Volcano Experiment though. In the booklet there are instructions for around 17 different experiments, and we've now tried most of them at least once...

What happens when food colouring and milk are mixed? Does it make an acid, or an alkali? Is vinegar acidic? What happens when you add it to the milk mixture? What is a Non-Newtonian Fluid?

What do you need to make bubbles? What changes happen when you add sugar, or salt?

How do you change the colour of a flower, and in our case, the leaves too!

What the heck is this purple liquid?

How can water make a magnifying glass?

I had my doubts before I saw this kit in person. I worried that this Lab Kit might be paying lip-service, and a 4x magnification Microscope wasn't tempting me. In fact now that I've spent time doing experiments with my boys, I think it's excellent.

My children have all liked Science, and I'm proud to say my 16 year old daughter has just started Science A Levels at College. I cannot see how any child wouldn't be smitten by this Ultimate Lab Kit, all of mine would have loved it, and my 6 year old thinks it's awesome.

The amount of equipment means my mini-Scientist can do Chemistry to his heart's content and it's all really easy to rinse out. He's already learnt how to make curds and whey, examined all his money through the microscope and tested all kinds of acids and alkalis, and is now confident he wants to be a Scientist when he's older.

I used to be a girl, and have raised girls, and the Project MC2 Ultimate Lab Kit really hits the mark. The look and layout are great, all the little shelves and drawers are incredibly cute and tempting. The kit is essentially clean and tidy, and the instruction booklet isn't intimidating to a newer Scientist. There's nothing scary or 'school' about this - it's definitely fun, not work.

The Project MC2 Lab Kit is suitable for children aged 6+ and has an rrp. of £49.99, which I think is a fair price and offers good value for money, for what would essentially in my house at least be 'the big gift'. Available now from all good toyshops instore and online.

The Project MC2 TV Show is available to watch on Netflix, and you can find out all about it on the Project MC2 website. We've also reviewed some of the other Project MC2 sets:

I sadly don't have a Lab Kit giveaway, but I am giving away the next
best thing, a Project MC2 Doll. My giveaway is open until Sunday 9th October and
you can enter the Project MC2 Doll Giveaway here...

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Parenting And Play Blog.

Play and entertainment for children and young people from tiny to teen and beyond. Skilled at Lego building and mending all things broken or trodden on. Grieving the loss of our oldest girl in August 2014, but still collecting smiles as often as possible.